January 2011 Blog Posts (20)

From my experience in the field I would say that code is the most overused misunderstood word. Early in my construction career I heard this word thrown around. It was and is referenced often with true meaning and good advice.

However it has also been used as a conversation ending to a dispute from the Ivory Tower “Thou shalt not doubt in me for I am the reference of thy Code and cannot be denied”. It is from these sources that I have issue. I have found that often times…

Many homeowners are beginning to recognize the higher standards that are being demanded from home improvement contractors.The new rules of certification, accreditation and independent verification have complemented well the old ways of selecting a contractor so that the two establish a benchmark that bodes well for the professional perception of the industry. It is not a coincidence that in 2010 credentialing and training organizations have achieved their highest…

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory just released a new Policy Brief on NYSERDA’s Green Jobs-Green New York Program. It focuses on their recent effort to extend EE financing to underserved households. Prior to the launch of GJGNY, NYSERDA used Fannie Mae Energy Loans to provide program participants with access to financing to overcome the upfront cost barrier of energy upgrades. The underwriting standards for this unsecured loan product, including a minimum decision credit score of 640, …

Energy efficiency is a tortoise in the green energy race. Not glamorous like solar, wind or smart grid, it tends to plod along in the back of the pack, attracting little media attention. But being last can be a good thing; you learn from the frontrunners.

Such is the case when it comes to financing. EE is beginning to borrow from strategies that have spurred tremendous growth for solar and other energy resources. These include customer aggregation and a kind of power purchase…

Recently I was talking to one of our HERS raters who said that one of the reasons he prefers going after the existing home market is that he’s more comfortable talking with homeowners than with builders. He’s afraid that builders will see his lack of construction knowledge and send him packing.

What can you do to overcome this fear? Take heed of these points, and you’ll be fine:

A short while ago I was in a meeting that centered on creating a flexible winter weatherization plan that would have a wide degree of application. While such plans are not uncommon in the least, I was surprised to hear that we, as inhabitants, came up as a serious aspect of energy inefficiency.

I keep striving to see the Big Picture, which some consider a flaw, but while in that mode I chanced upon a book that may have given me a Glimpse.

I recommend reading, “The Plundered Planet: Why We Must—and How We Can—Manage Nature for Global Prosperity,” the latest work by Paul Collier. Collier is Professor of Economics at Oxford University, and a former director of Development Research at the World Bank. He demonstrates an understanding of how countries and economies work--and…

You know which light bulb I mean. It’s the one you’ve burned your hands on when trying to unscrew it too soon after it’s been turned off. It’s the one you put in the lamp in your living room to read by in your comfortable chair; the one you use to light the stairways at night. It’s the 100-watt incandescent that uses… Continue

This very question was recently posed in the BPI Group. Is there a conflict of interest when an energy auditor also offers contracting or weatherization services to their clients? At first glance, many would say that the easy answer is "yes". The common reasoning is that people will steer their clients towards the products they sell in order to make as much money as possible. After all, that's what we are all in business for, isn't it? The other answer was "it's just human…

Don’t you just hate it when you have to wake up because of the blasted sunshine on your face? Not everyone is a morning person. Shutting out the light when you need a few more minutes of snoozing doesn’t have to be such a pain. Enter the ultimate lazy gizmo, radio controlled blinds.What’s that I hear? You don’t have the money to have these radio controlled blinds installed? Don’t be…

Meritage homes, a big national production home builder, has announced its intention to only offer ultra energy efficient homes. They will document this by using the HERS Index (Home Energy Rating System), which is currently used for ENERGY STAR qualified homes, and is a standard of the U. S. mortgage industry. A home built to the current 2006 IECC energy code has a HERS Index of 100, and is considered the "reference" home for a given design. To meet ENERGY STAR requirements in our climate…

On Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Home Energy Consultants attended a marketing training seminar in Fayetteville sponsored by Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) and presented by CLEAResults Consulting, which is implementing the SWEPCO Residential Solutions incentive program. The training session was intended for any participating contractor of the SWEPCO program, including contractors for heating and air conditioning, insulation, duct sealing, air sealing and energy…

Can you improve indoor air quality with an energy audit? You bet. Recently our company was asked to do some troubleshooting on a 50 year old home in Northwest Arkansas. The occupant has environmental sensitivity and respiratory issues, and was having difficulties staying in her home due to her physical reactions and symptoms. The homeowner suspected the culprit was cellulose fibers from attic insulation added several years previously.

KUAF Radio of Fayetteville, AR interviewed Home Energy Consultants about energy audits in December 2010. Listen.

Gary Kahanak, President of Home Energy Consultants, Inc., and a RESNET-certified Home Energy Rater, talks with Christina Thomas of KUAF 91.3 FM about the basics of a home energy audit. Thomas did a fine job
with the interview, condensing a lot of material into a cohesive,
informative 7-minute audio…

I am an unabashed supporter of smart meters. While testifying about energy efficiency at the European parliament, I logged into my home’s smart meter (in California) and showed them my current energy use. The members of Parliament were so impressed—none of them had ever seen output from a smart meter—that I may have influenced energy efficiency legislation in Europe. I teach a course about energy efficiency at the University of California, Davis, and I make every…Continue